Epitome of Loss
by SoraLover1994
Summary: It's a stormy day when a group of travelers stumble upon Shinra Manor, all for different reasons, and are forced to remain there for the evening... but when Hojo's experiments begin to run amok, who will come out alive... and who will be lost to oblivion?
1. Chapter 1

0_0 Wow, this is my first fanfiction in a REALLY long time, but I think that I've gotten a bit better since the last time now that I've been writing my own stories instead of fanfiction.

What inspired me to write this? Well, last night I finished Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, cried at the ending, then watched Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, got pissed about how that ended... And then when I went to bed, I had this weird dream. 0_0

It was about a group of travelers, literally the ones that are in the story, that for different reasons went to Shinra Manor. And then it sort of flipped scenes, one of them being an incident that occurs between my two OC characters Ryuu Mori and Artemis van Hughes (. I chose this name because I LIKE it, not because of her culture... It was the first one I thought of since I wanted an American character in a Japanese setting, but I might change her last name later.), and another being a rather gruesome scene between Zack and Artemis that I won't say... And well, I just HAD to write it down before I forgot it!

Oh, and why did I keep calling Sora a dolt/dork in this story? ^_^ I did it to spite him. *Love you, Sora!*

And why did I make Zack seem a bit more... mean? To spite him too! *Love you too, Zack!*

^_^ Anyways, I hope that you guys enjoy this, and give me ANY feedback that you want on this prologue to the story, especially on a last name that would fit Artemis if van Hughes doesn't work!

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><p><em><strong>Prologue:<strong>_

~Solitary Strike~

"SOLDIER First Class, Zack Fair?" A spiky-haired ravenette glanced up from checking his mail, Mako-infused eyes brimming with curiosity.

"Yep, that's me. What's up?"

"You've been assigned to investigate the Shinra Manor in Nibelheim for any suspicious activity, by order of the Science Research Facility." An infantryman replied. Zack put his communicator back into his pocket.

"…I seem to recall that they don't give me a check, so they don't give me orders."

"They specifically asked for you to follow through with this since Sephiroth is still remaining inside of the data room until further notice."

Zack heaved a sigh, turning to leave. "Okay. Fine… I'll get to it…"

* * *

><p>~Two Is Better Than One~<p>

A young girl with black hair tied into two ponytails heaved a sigh and then knocked on a door, café-colored eyes concerned. "Ryuu? Are you in there?"

"Yes, I am…" A male's voice called back. She opened the door, and then noticed a boy with short brown hair staring out of the window. She stood on the side of him, and sure enough, steel-colored eyes never blinked once or even so much as glanced in her direction. "Good day, Artemis…"

"Do you need anything?"

"…The birds are singing really cheerfully today. It must be nice of them to be able to fly freely, without a care in the world…" Artemis looked away.

Ryuu Mori was seventeen years old, and he had glaucoma, which had only recently made him nearly blind. He had been living on his own to attend high school in Nibelheim despite the small region, but his plans backfired all too soon.

Artemis van Hughes was an old friend of his that moved to America with her parents to attend high school, but soon returned to Midgar in order to care for him despite being two years younger and having to leave school. She had no idea what possessed her to do such a thing, because surely her life was more important than his at the moment, friends or not.

Maybe it was her parents' influence! Yes, that had to have been it!

"…Do you want to go outside and get some fresh air?" Artemis asked. Ryuu turned around and slowly reached out a hand as if he were trying to grab hers. Artemis blinked and then gently grabbed his hand. He began to smile, caressing her hand with his own. Her face reddened slightly.

"I'd love that. I'd love that very much." And then they left Ryuu's home and made their way outside.

"Now, don't you dare let go of my hand, okay? The last thing I need is for you to get lost in your own hometown…" Artemis warned as the two roamed the streets.

"Oh, don't worry, I don't plan on it. Why would I when I have a really cute girl like you assisting me~?" Artemis rolled her eyes at this.

She could tell that he was a bit TOO happy that she had decided to bring him outside. Or maybe it was just because she was _there _that he was overjoyed. For some reason, that began to piss her off more and more.

"…Is there any place in particular that you wanted to go today…?"

"Can we go to Shinra Manor, in the outskirts of the town?"

"The outskirts of Nibelheim…?"

"Yeah!"

"And why do you want to go there of all places, Ryuu?"

"Because the mansion is really cool, of course, from what I've heard. I can't see it anymore, but I know that you'd probably like it there. You like going to adventurous places, don't you, Arte?"

"…We're not going inside, so why does it matter?"

"Because… I want you to be able to be happier again. It must be a bother having to take care of me all of the time…" Artemis mentally agreed with that. Ryuu seemed to have gotten a bit TOO friendly with her since he developed glaucoma, but she assumed it was because he lost an important portion of his life. "Just think of seeing the mansion as a breath of fresh air. So, please…?"

She smiled a bit. "…Okay. I guess a quick trip to Shinra Manor wouldn't hurt…"

"Great! Hey, Arte… Do you see those stairs over by the archway?" Artemis glanced over, noticing them.

"…Yeah, I see them."

"That's the way to the outskirts. Then you have to go through the forest trail, and then to your right, you should see a mansion. That's Shinra Manor."

"I'll, um, keep that in mind…"

* * *

><p>~Three Is A Magic Number~<p>

It was a warm summer's day in the country-boy town known as Nibelheim. A spiky haired brunette waved back to his two friends, grinning. "You guys have GOT to see this place in the outskirts of Nibelheim! It's so cool!"

"Hold on, Sora, wait for us!" An auburn-haired girl called back, giggling a bit.

"Aw, come on, Kairi. Just let him have his fun. You know it's been a while since he's been back here," A young man with long, slightly spiked silver hair replied.

"Still, Riku, you never know…"

"COME ON ALREADY!" The boy known as Sora whined from a distance.

"Don't get your Keyblade in a bunch, we're coming!" Riku called.

The three were in Nibelheim visiting Sora's VERY distant relative Cloud Strife for the summer break before they returned to school on the Destiny Islands. Originally, Sora was supposed to go to Nibelheim alone, but he wanted his two best friends to see 'his second home' in Midgar. So far to Riku, it was a drag being in the country. Kairi was just happy knowing that Sora was excited about being back for the first time in about a year. To the three, it was nice to be able to go on another adventure in another world every once in a while.

Soon, the three came to the outside of what appeared to be a rather large manor. "You see it? This place is Shinra Manor! Isn't it neat?"

"…Looks like some big stupid house to me." Riku mumbled.

"Sora, do you know who lives here?" Kairi asked.

"…I don't think that anyone does. Cloud told me that the place has been abandoned for a while, but SOLDIER operatives travel here consistently to conduct scientific research, or to investigate the Mako Reactor out in the mountains."

"Oh, would you look at that? Little Sora knows big words." Riku joked.

"I'm serious!" Sora exclaimed, half-whining.

"So, what was the purpose of you wanting to show us this place again?" Riku asked.

"I want to go exploring! I've never been inside of the Shinra Manor before, and it looks like it'd be a pretty neat place just based on the outside of it!" Sora beamed.

"…I'm going back." Riku mumbled.

"Aw, Riku, don't be a killjoy! Come on!" Sora whined.

"…Sure, I'll do that when you quit being a brat! For all we know, there could be someone living there, and if we intrude, they could get us arrested!"

"Life's too short to live the same day twice." Sora quoted. "Besides, it'll just be for a minute and then we'll leave!"

"No way. I'm going back. Come on, Kairi." Kairi blinked.

Sora looked to Kairi. "Kairi, you'll come with me, right? It'll be fun."

"…I think Riku has a good point…" Kairi replied slowly. Sora crossed his arms. "If we go, we'd probably get into some kind of trouble."

"…Aw, fine… We'll go back…" Sora said in defeat. Just as Riku was preparing to leave, he ran into a girl, knocking her and a boy down by mistake.

"Oh, man, I'm so sorry!" Riku exclaimed.

"Artemis!" The boy whined. The girl looked back at him and immediately helped him to his feet.

"It's okay now, Ryuu, calm down…" The girl known as Artemis looked to the silver-haired boy, smiling a bit. "…Hi there..."

"Hiya…" He replied back, waving. "Coming to the mansion too?"

"…My friend Ryuu wanted to come here… You see, he's nearly blind, and for some reason he wanted ME to take a break by bringing HIM here…"

"I'm right HERE, you know!" Ryuu whined.

"…Oh, I can understand that." Riku replied, chuckling.

"And what about you?" Artemis continued.

"…My dork of a best friend Sora wanted to show our friend Kairi and me the mansion, but we were just about to leave…"

"Ah, I see. I'm Artemis, by the way. Artemis van Hughes. And this guy right here…" Artemis pulled Ryuu a bit closer. "…is Ryuu Mori."

"Riku Tamohara. Nice to meet you," He replied, grinning.

"…Likewise." Ryuu mumbled.

"Ooh, Riku's got a girlfriend~" Sora chimed as loud as he possibly could. Riku's face reddened a bit from anger.

"Guessing that's Sora, your 'dork of a best friend', huh?" Artemis giggled.

"Y-Yeah, that's him…" Sora and Kairi ran over to the two.

"Hello there." Kairi said, waving a bit to Artemis and Ryuu. Artemis waved back. "I'm Kairi Uchida. What's your name?"

"I'm Artemis van Hughes. And this is Ryuu Mori, my fri-"

"I'm blind, but I can SPEAK, you know." Ryuu growled. Artemis rolled her eyes.

"…My friend that is extremely pushing his luck today…" Sora walked around Artemis, staring at her. "…Um, what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing really, Miss, just doing a thorough examination of you to make sure that you aren't harboring any contractions of darkness…"

"…Get any more thorough than that, and you'll be blind too," Artemis growled.

"Yeah, that's Sora for you. He's a little naïve, mind you, but he's really a sweetheart underneath the idiotic form that he's taken on." Riku replied.

"Sora Hikari, Keyblade Master extraordinaire, at your service~" Sora beamed, giving Artemis a cheesy grin. Artemis could feel a blush threatening to creep up onto her face, until she felt Ryuu practically giving her a death glare. "So, you guys live in Nibelheim too?"

"Well, I'm just here taking care of Ryuu…" Artemis mumbled.

"I was supposed to be starting high school in Nibelheim until my eyes started going bad…" Ryuu mumbled as well. "And what about you?"

"We're all from a place called the Destiny Islands. We're here visiting one of Sora's VERY distant relatives." Kairi stated.

"Hey, you kids over there!" Riku, Kairi, Sora and Artemis glanced back in unison, and a man with spiked black hair carrying a rather large Buster Sword walked past them. "What the heck are you doing over here? This is SOLDIER territory!"

"Hey, he's one of those SOLDIER members!" Sora exclaimed, pointing to the man accusingly.

"Not just any regular SOLDIER operative, kid. Name's Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class!" The man replied, grinning. Artemis blinked. She hadn't heard anything about SOLDIER before, since she lived far enough away from them and her parents nor Ryuu never spoke of them. Maybe they were anti-SOLDIER? "Now, I've got some business to handle here, so I'd advise that you all leave the premises immediately."

"Why? Is something going on inside of the mansion?" Kairi asked.

"That's classified information." Zack replied. "Only those in SOLDIER are allowed to know about certain missions."

"Well, we're kids, who are we going to tell?" Sora joked.

"That's the point. You guys are _kids_."

"Well, yeah, but… You don't look like you're that much older than we are. You only look like you're about nineteen or something." Artemis stated, now eyeing Zack's sword. Zack rolled his eyes, looking away.

"Yeah, well, I'm still not a kid. And even if I were, I'm already in the top ranks of SOLDIER, so you don't have much to say about that."

"It's not like I know what SOLDIER is anyways, so I don't care. I just want to see the mansion." Artemis growled.

"And I already said no, so beat it!" Zack exclaimed, temper beginning to flare. As if on cue, thunderclaps began to roar from above, and within seconds, rain began pouring. Sora felt some rain strike his arm and he yelped in pain.

"Sora, calm down, it's just water!" Riku growled.

"That did NOT feel like water! It burned like hell!" Sora roared, going out of character from the sharp pain.

Artemis glanced up at the sky, and then some rain fell onto her cheek, causing her to flinch. "He's right! That's not water, it's… acid!"

Zack heaved a sigh, hero instincts kicking in despite his orders. "Okay, everyone into the mansion if you don't want to be disintegrated by the acid rain! Hurry it up!"

* * *

><p>...Well, with any luck I can pull together scenes in the mansion. XD<p>

But, uh, yeah, go on and flame if you want, I'm just PRACTICING for my real stories. I have a FictionPress account with the same username, and I'm going to be uploading my original stories there soon, so if you want something better, you can look there if you want.


	2. Chapter 2

**0_0 I just felt that I HAD to keep going with this story because it's sticking in my mind, even if I don't really like where it's going...**

**But since I don't have ANY reviews for ANY of my stories...**

**I'm gonna let you guys be the judge of that.**

**And if you may, please judge my story Euthanasia on ! It's not a fanfic, it's an actual story, and I just HAVE to know if it's worthy of publishing beforehand! T.T Please?**

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><p><em>Chapter 1:<em>

Sora plopped onto the floor the moment that the group had gotten into the Shinra Manor. "MAN, was that close… I thought that my arm was gonna burn off…"

"Your arm, my FACE, Sora," Artemis retorted, now rubbing her cheek a bit.

"What's wrong, Artemis?" Riku asked.

"It's starting to burn…"

"Don't mess with it or you'll irritate your skin more." Zack said, walking over to her. "Here, let me see that," He lifted her chin slightly.

"H-Hey, watch it, you…!"

Artemis's face reddened a bit when she caught his gaze. He had such beautiful eyes… she had never seen such a blue before on a man. And what made things a bit more interesting, he was a complete foot taller than she was, standing at 6"3…

Sugar and spice, that was JUST what she needed at a time like this, to know that she was an entire foot shorter than a guy five years her senior.

"Well, it doesn't look serious, but you should probably put some medicine on it just to be safe."

"O-Okay…" Zack smirked a bit, noticing her blush.

"See something that you like?"

"…Nothing of the sort." Artemis pulled away, blush deepening a bit more. "As if I'd try to even associate with someone from a group like SOLDIER…"

"A 'group like SOLDIER', you say."

"I don't think you'd have a gigantic sword like that for nothing."

"…Zack Fair, SOLDIER first class, nice to meet you."

"…Artemis. Artemis van Hughes. Likewise."

"I'm Riku Tamohara, that's Kairi Uchida, and the brunette's Sora Hikari."

"Nice to meet you," Zack replied.

Then Artemis made her way towards the stairs, trailing behind the now over-energetic Sora. "So, this is the Shinra Manor…?"

"It's the most awesome house EVER!" He pointed up to the second floor. "Check out all the doors and all the rooms! There's bound to be TONS of places to explore here!"

"I bet it's not THAT exciting…" Ryuu mumbled. "It's probably like every other mansion out there…"

"Keep in mind, once the rain ceases, you all have to LEAVE! None of you are even allowed to be in here, it's off limits to those that aren't members of SOLDIER!" Zack growled.

"Aw, what harm could it do?" Kairi called back. "Because until we DO leave, we're technically SOLDIER operatives!"

"Not even close!" Zack retorted.

Artemis ran up the stairs and peered out of the window. "…Doesn't look like the storm's going to be stopping anytime soon. I can practically see trees melting out there."

"Really?" Sora squeaked.

"See for yourself." Sora, Riku and Kairi ran up to the window and peered out. Sure enough, the rain wasn't stopping, and for some reason, trees WERE rotting outside from the acid rainstorm.

"Since when are there storms like this anywhere?" Kairi asked.

"…In general? They rarely ever happen unless something goes wrong in a factory or something... In Nibelheim… this is the first..." Sora replied, still staring at the trees.

"I think it's a bad omen…" Artemis stated.

"Omen, issue… Does it matter? We're going to be stuck here for a while, the way things are looking now." Riku retorted.

"Well, then, bring on the adventure!" Sora beamed, running up the stairs and around the corner.

"Wha-Sora! What are you doing?" Riku growled.

"…And they call ME the puppy," Zack groaned.

"…Does that mean we have to move around now?" Artemis went over to Ryuu, grabbing him by the arm.

"T-Thank you, Artemis…"

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Kairi asked.

"…You're probably right…"

* * *

><p>Sora opened multiple doors to certain rooms. With every locked door he found, he peered through the keyholes beforehand, spotting juice cans and books galore. In one keyhole, he even noticed odd creatures floating aimlessly in the room.<p>

"…What are those things…? Maybe they're harmless…" He summoned a key-shaped weapon and held it up to the door, unlocking it. He tugged on the doorknob and opened it. Almost instantly, the creatures looked to him. "…Uh oh. They look kind of mad…" He ran back out just as the enemies were preparing to attack, slamming the door behind him. He locked the door back, panting. "…Okay, Sora, mental note. DON'T open doors with weird creatures behind them." Then he ran off.

* * *

><p>"Sora? Sora, where are you?" Artemis called.<p>

"Ugh, this place is too big for us to just roam around aimlessly…" Riku groaned.

"And I'm getting EXTREMELY sick of Artemis guiding me around like this, it's just tiring." Ryuu whined. Artemis glared at the boy.

"Maybe we can split up, cover more ground." Zack suggested. "There are locked passages all around here, but there are some hidden traps, so it shouldn't be that hard to hunt him down."

"…Sora is highly GULLIBLE! He'd probably go and fall for any stupid tricks in this house!" Riku exclaimed.

"…I'll go look around the second floor. Riku, you come with me. Kairi, Ryuu, Artemis, you three can check around the first floor. If we're not back in fifteen minutes, then someone should come searching too."

"I'll do it," Artemis replied.

"Be on your guard," Riku said.

"You guys too," Kairi replied.

"Right!" Then the five parted ways.

* * *

><p>After what felt like fifteen minutes had passed after checking all of the now locked doors by the entrance, Artemis looked to Kairi. "Hey, how long do you think it's been since they left?"<p>

"Feels like it's about time. I can watch Ryuu for you."

"Would you? Thanks, Kairi, I'll be back as soon as I can," Artemis dashed up the stairs and began to scan the area.

"Well, Ryuu, I guess it's just you and me…" Kairi replied.

"…Correction, Kairi. It is just gonna be you," Ryuu got up. "Because I, unlike you, am going to be joining to be joining Artemis upstairs. Understood?"

"B-But how are you supposed to get to Artemis up there if you can't see?" Kairi exclaimed.

"Simple. It's called 'instinct'. Now, I suggest you stay out of my way, and if you tell anyone that I went off to find her, I'll break your neck."

"W-Why are you being so cruel NOW?"

"Simply, because I can be whenever I don't get my way. Now keep your mouth shut, you idiotic red-head."

Kairi twitched. Did he REALLY just call her an idiotic red-head? And exactly WHAT was wrong with being a red-head anyways? **{A/N: I have short reddish brown hair, and I love my hair color, so I guess that would count as being a red-head. XD} **

"…Go burn somewhere…" And then Ryuu walked up the stairs.

* * *

><p><em>It's not that big of a place, so why aren't they back yet…? <em>

Artemis came into a bedroom and then spotted a rather large brick door sticking out. "…Is that one of the hidden traps that Zack was talking about before?" She went towards the door and then tugged on it a bit.

Almost instantly, the door opened. Her eyes went a bit wide. She scanned the inside for a moment before stepping inside, walking forward. After she was far enough in, the door suddenly slammed shut. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the door suddenly close, and she ran back for the door, trying to open it again to find that it wouldn't budge. She banged on it.

"Oh, SHIT…! H-Hey, is someone out there? Let me out! HELP! SOMEBODY, PLEASE, GET ME OUT!"

_Why would you WANT to escape?_

Artemis froze slightly. "…Wh-Who said that?"

_ Didn't you want an adventure? Didn't you secretly want to be able to escape from your family and friend? Weren't you sick and tired of having to take care of Ryuu all of the time?_

"N-No! I never **wanted** to escape them! And Ryuu is still my friend, even if he has become a bit more unmanageable, but-"

_Then what is it, Artemis? What is your true desire?_

"…My true… desire…?"

_Why don't you come deeper into the cavern and join me? I can help you discover all of your thoughts and desires hidden away from you… I can give you a purpose…_

"…Oh great. I feel like I'm talking to myself, but yet I don't. Have I gone nuts…?Or maybe it's just because of all that's going on… Yeah, that has to be it! There's no way that I'VE gone nuts so soon!" Artemis laughed at herself.

_…You really ARE going nuts._

"Ah, shut the heck up, you stupid mental… um, inner conscience… voice-thing… Whatever the hell that you are trying to tease me… You're just lucky that I can't come up with any good comebacks to say to you."

_I could come up with plenty of insults to a birdbrain. _

"Shut UP, I said!"

Artemis heaved a sigh and slowly made her way into the cavern, occasionally glancing back at the entrance from which she came.

* * *

><p>Just as Sora was preparing to open a large brick door, he felt someone jerk him back by his shoulder. He let out a yelp.<p>

"End of the line, Sora!" Riku growled. Sora grinned when he turned around and spotted Riku, chuckling nervously.

"Sorry… I just got REALLY curious…"

"Well, next time, at least warn someone before you go running off… You're such a kid sometimes…"

Zack shook his head. "Still… That was a really close one… No one other than high ranking SOLDIER members or certain members of the Shinra science department is allowed down there…"

"Why's that?" Riku asked.

"…You know, I'm not really sure. But, come on, let's get back to the others. They're probably getting worried."

When Sora, Riku and Zack returned, they took notice that both Artemis and Ryuu had gone. Kairi was a bit stunned as well to notice that she wasn't with them, but had no comments on Ryuu's state.

"Where's Artemis?" Riku exclaimed.

"She went to look for you guys not too long ago!" Kairi replied.

"She didn't come back? What about Ryuu?" Sora asked.

"…I really don't know about Ryuu…" Zack's eyes widened and he immediately dashed back up the stairs.

"Zack! Where are you going?" Sora called.

"I think I know where Artemis went! She might have gone through the door that you were trying to go through, Sora, and if she did, she might be in real danger!" Zack called back. The three immediately followed after him.

Artemis stopped walking, feeling a sudden gust of cold air. "M-Man… I'm starting to feel kind of weird…" She looked up to the ceiling. "Hey, voice, wanna tell me what's up with this ominous feeling?"

Silence.

"…You know what? Fine, dammit, see if I care!" Artemis sighed and then shook her head, looking forward. Only then did she see a group of what appeared to be grave robbers approaching her… only they weren't human. _**"…W-What… What ARE those things…?"**_

* * *

><p><strong>Well, now we've come to discover that mysterious creatures are haunting the Shinra Manor. Will Zack be able to reach Artemis in time? What's going on in Ryuu's mind? Will Sora ever start making sense?<strong>

**READ AND REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**^_^'' Well, I somehow managed to keep this going... **

**And I thought of Mako poisoning more upon researching it... **

**Yep, that's right, I dove into the Final Fantasy VII wiki, looked it up again... **

**And here we have it! Fun, fun, fun...**

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><p><strong><em><span>Chapter 2<span>_**

Artemis could feel her heart pounding as if it were literally ready to burst from her chest. She made attempts to examine the creatures, but just as she did so, one of them leapt into the air for an attack.

_Artemis, move aside or you'll get hurt!_

_**"That voice again…?"**_

Artemis swiftly moved aside just as the creature prepared to land on the ground, barely dodging, her eyes still fixated on the creatures before her. She slowly backed up towards the entrance only to feel her back suddenly collide with something. She froze for a moment and slowly reached out a hand, instantly feeling what she thought were… scales. She slowly turned around and spotted a creature that appeared almost human.

It had piercing cerulean eyes and long silver hair that touched the ground, yet and still… Artemis knew that if it had scales on its body, it wasn't human. An odd green liquid was oozing from its mouth, dripping onto the floor. The creature grinned at her, revealing fangs.

…Fangs. Yep, quite far from being a human all right; more like on the crazed freak-show type of scale.

Before Artemis could try to flee for help, the creature had lunged, digging its sharp fangs into her neck. Her eyes went completely blank for a moment before she let out an ear-splitting shriek of pain.

* * *

><p>Ryuu heard the girl's scream from afar. He was frozen. "Arte…?"<p>

* * *

><p>Zack had just gotten up to the brick door leading to the inner caverns and was about to open it when he heard a muffled scream from the other side. Mako-infused eyes grew wide.<p>

"ARTEMIS!" He began to pry the door open.

"Zack!" Sora called out once he, Riku and Kairi had raced in.

"Artemis is trapped inside of here, like I thought! Something's inside of there with her!" Zack looked to the three. "It locks from the inside, so I need all of you to keep this door open at all costs and wait for me to bring her back out!" Zack got the door open, and then Sora grabbed one side of the door while Riku grabbed the other.

"Got it!"

"Zack, please be careful!" Kairi said. Zack nodded, removing his Buster Sword from its sheath and charging forward into the caverns.

* * *

><p>Zack skidded to a stop when he noticed Artemis being clung to by her neck, bitten by a creature. It reminded him of a vampire drawing blood from a human's soul. Artemis noticed Zack for a second, and then broke away, performing a roundhouse kick, throwing the creature backwards into the wall.<p>

"H-Hey, Artemis, you doing okay?" Artemis winced in pain, slowly putting a hand up to her neck. Zack noticed the blood seeping through her fingers and got a bit concerned. She slowly glanced over at him.

"Y-Yeah, I'm… I'll be okay… It's just… It's just a graze…"

"Doesn't look like any old graze to-" Zack glanced back and noticed some of the creatures dashing for the entrance, then at the creatures surrounding the two. He growled under his breath.

"…Zack…?" Artemis breathed out.

"Hey, Sora, Riku, Kairi! You guys better brace yourselves back there!"

"Sure thing!" He heard Sora's muffled voice call back before hearing the sound of a weapon being drawn. Artemis moaned a bit, but managed to regain her composure as the enemies drew closer. Zack held the Buster Sword out in front of him.

"Dammit… Give me a BREAK!" He charged forward, hack-slashing the creatures into bits and pieces. Artemis braced herself, taking a few deep breaths.

_What are you doing?_

_ "__**Breathing…"**_

_For?_

_**"Because… this… is where being forced into cheerleading back in America… will come in handy…"**_

Artemis propelled forward. "Hey, Zack! Head's up, enemies coming your way a la Arte!" She flipped over and kicked some of the enemies backwards. Zack turned around and slashed each one of them off, finishing them completely. This process continued for a bit, but Zack nonetheless monitored Artemis's condition carefully.

Soon enough, all of the enemies fell at Zack's feet, and the SOLDIER man let out a breath of relief, putting his sword back into its sheath. Artemis glanced back at him and smiled.

"I see that… your sword isn't just for show… after all…"

"You're not so bad at hand-on combat yourself, kiddo," Zack joked. "C'mon, we should probably be getting back now. The others are waiting for us."

As Zack turned to leave, Artemis winced and slowly reached up, putting a hand to her still bleeding neck. She said that it was a graze, and she didn't feel any pain when she was helping Zack, so why was the wound beginning to sting so harshly so suddenly? She opened her mouth to call out, but couldn't find her voice.

"…Z-Z… Za…ck…" Zack immediately turned around to face her, and Artemis took a step forward, reaching out for him while still keeping one hand to her neck. She blinked a few times, and all that she could see after a while… was green. **_{A/N: Well, thank YOU, Final Fantasy VII: Last Order OVA!}_**

_**"W-What's going on…? Why do I feel so… out of it…? And my voice is… My GOD, my voice…!"**_

"Artemis, what is it?" Artemis opened her mouth to speak again.

"…I… I feel… fu-" Zack sprang forward, catching her in his arms as she lurched forward.

_You went and left yourself vulnerable…_

"Artemis! Artemis, stay with me here!" Her breaths were slow and rough, and she nearly clung to Zack for warmth, her form trembling. Zack shook his head a bit and then stood up, holding her close.

_And now you're going to pay the price for your weakness…_

"…The creatures that attacked you… that attacked US… they had to have been experiments of Professor Hojo's that went wrong… And the one that bit you in the neck… it had to have had Mako energy inside of it… I really hope that I'm wrong…"

_You shouldn't have listened to Ryuu, Artemis. You should have just stayed home, safe in your bed._

_**"How was I supposed to DO that…? Ryuu is my friend…"**_

_Is he really? Would a friend lead you to a mansion, stating that it was 'cool', and would he come along if he's blind and wanted for YOU to have a break? Face it. He's nothing but low, low, low. He clearly knows something about what's going on._

_**"STOP IT! HE'S NOT LIKE THAT!"**_

_It's fairly obvious, because guess what? Now you're going to die a slow and painful death at the hands of SOLDIER experiments. _

_**"I-I'm gonna DIE? Aah, but I never even got to have my first kiss, or-or my first tattoo, or my graduation, or my first-" {A/N: 0.0 First WHAT now, Arte?}**_

_ You heard Zack for himself. This 'Hojo' person created those monsters, and now you have loose Mako energy flowing through your veins because you let your guard down to them. You're stupid. _

Artemis whimpered a bit, clinging to Zack's shirt. Zack glanced down at her, and could easily see the pained expression on Artemis's face

"Artemis… Don't worry… I'm going to keep you safe…" When Zack left the caverns, he saw that the younger trio was standing over one of the now defeated creatures lying before them.

"Huh, nice going, Sora, you managed to kill it…" Riku mumbled.

"What the heck IS this thing? It surely doesn't look like anything I've ever faced before…" Sora asked.

"It WAS a test subject created by the head of the Shinra science department, Professor Hojo," Zack called. Only then did the three look his way.

"W-What happened to Artemis?" Riku exclaimed.

"One of those creatures attacked her from behind, but that's a story for another time. Right now, we need to try to stabilize her before she ends up getting any worse." Zack gently laid Artemis's weakened form on a nearby bed, pulling the covers over her. When he had gently rested a hand on her forehead, she had cringed from his cold touch. "Hm, a slight fever… Riku, I need you to find a towel and some water, or anything that could be used to bring her temperature down."

"Okay," Riku ran off.

"Sora, you're a skilled fighter, right?"

"Yeah!"

"I need you to be my infantryman. You have to hunt down the enemies that managed to escape from the caverns and destroy them on pinpoint."

"Does that mean that I get to be a part of SOLDIER if I do?" Sora beamed. Zack shrugged, deciding to boost the boy's esteem a bit more, if it were even possible.

"Sure. This is your first assignment, so don't let me down."

"Sir, yes sir!" Sora ran off as well.

'Um, Zack… Is there anything that I can do to help?" Kairi asked, feeling a bit left out compared to her two companions.

"Hm… Kairi, how about you monitor the weather conditions outside and keep your eyes peeled for any suspicious activity? Oh, and you can try to hunt down Ryuu too, for Artemis's sake."

Kairi grinned. "Yes, sir!" Then she ran off as well. Zack slowly reached out a hand, moving some hair from over Artemis's eyes. Her eyes slowly opened and she stared up at him, sight still emerald.

"Z-Za…ck…" Her voice was coarse.

"Shh… Don't say a word, save your strength…" He began to scan through his item supply, finding two potions, an elixir, and a Phoenix Down. He assumed that he would need the Phoenix Down later on, so he reached for the elixir, holding it out to Artemis. "Hey, Artemis, do you think you can stomach this?"

"A-Ah…?" Zack took this as a yes and brought the liquid up to her lips.

"It might taste kind of weird, but trust me, it might help you regain some of your strength after some time." Artemis coughed slightly once Zack had pulled the elixir away, both from the God-awful taste and her now burning throat from her neck injury.

_**"O-Ow…! That hurts…!"**_

_Get used to it, because you're going to be feeling that pain for a while._

It didn't take very long for Artemis's cough to become brisk. "Ouch…!" Zack immediately came to her aide.

"A-Are you okay?" Artemis covered her mouth, coughing harshly into her jacket sleeve. "I-Is something caught in your throat?" Artemis calmed for a moment, and Zack noticed blood on her sleeve—the same sleeve she had just coughed into. His eyes grew wide. "Blood…? Oh, damn it… Mako poisoning!" **_{A/N: Yeahhhhh, that's right, I went on ahead and added my own symptoms of Mako Poisoning, so sue ME.}_**

* * *

><p>Riku returned only seconds later, and his eyes widened when he stumbled upon Zack rubbing the girl's back as she broke into another coughing fit. Riku noticed some blood slip through Artemis's lips. "W-What's going on?"<p>

"She has Mako poisoning and it's causing her to cough up blood," Riku raced over, aquamarine eyes filled with concern. "I don't think that it's gotten to an extreme point, because she's still able to move a bit…"

"…I-I…" Zack gently laid Artemis back down on the bed, and she took a few shallow breaths. Zack put a hand to the girl's cheek.

"Aw, damn it, she's burning up…!" Zack shook his head. Riku dipped a cloth into a bucket of cold water and then placed the cloth on Artemis's forehead. "How the hell did I get myself into this mess!"

Artemis cringed from the cool texture, weakly staring up at the two, particularly at Zack for his comment. "…I'm… sor…ry…"

"Don't apologize, this isn't your fault!" Zack half-yelled at her. "It's… It's MINE for not getting to you in time! It's my fault for not warning you about the caverns sooner, and… And it's my fault for not being a hero!"

Artemis opened her mouth to speak, not caring if it would damage her any longer, "…No… you really… you ARE… a hero, Zack… You really… are…" Zack was stunned by her words, and she slowly closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

_You're just wasting your time trying to convince him of something so foolish. He's never going to be a true hero._

_**"He's strong enough to be one and he's got the attitude for it. And in addition, he's got the right look for a hero, so why shouldn't he be a hero at this rate?"**_

Zack stood up, eyes still locked on Artemis's now still form. "…Riku… Could you… Could you watch her a bit…?" Riku blinked, looking to the man.

"Of course I can," Then Zack left the room. Riku looked to Artemis. "…You know, you're really getting in over your head… I just hope that things start to go better soon, and that we can all get the hell out of here…"

._ "…Hi there..."_

_ "Hiya…"_

_ "Ah, I see. I'm Artemis, by the way. Artemis van Hughes."_

_ "Riku Tamohara. Nice to meet you."_

"…This is all so strange… Why would those creatures just appear out of nowhere…? Could someone be controlling them, maybe this Professor Hojo?" Riku got up, looking towards the cavern entrance. "…I wonder if I can see the laboratory for myself and try to get some answers…"

"Don't… do it…" Riku glanced down at Artemis. His eyes widened a bit when he saw that her once café-colored eyes retained a hint of green along the iris. "If you do, I'll put an end to you myself, Riku," Now Riku was more stunned, for the voice he was hearing didn't belong to Artemis, even if it was coming from her mouth.

"…Artemis…?" She got up from the bed and looked to him.

"I would like to make a suggestion to go. Leave the girl be, and allow me to have control for this moment," She examined herself carefully. "This little girl's body… It suits me quite well indeed…"

"W-Who ARE you if you're not Artemis?"

"…You don't need to know any of that," Emerald eyes appeared almost malevolent. "All that you need to know at this moment… is that you and your friends need to keep her alive at all costs, at least until she finds Ryuu again."

"Okay. Sure. No problem."

"…Now, take a walk. I have something I need to do," She went through a drawer and found a combination bow and arrow set, seven arrows in the carrying case. "Ah, my old friend Shashu… Just where I left it…"_** {A/N: Shashu is the Romanji word for shot, as in a marksman}**_

"W-What are you gonna do with that…?" She held the position of an archer, arrow now pointed at Riku. Riku froze.

"That… was a stupid question…"

"…I gotta go pee," Then Riku fled. Artemis's eyes narrowed a bit and she looked to her bow and arrow.

"…Well, Shashu… Guess that after all this time… we finally get to go back to taking matters into our own hands, thanks to Artemis. Are you ready for the madness?" She grinned. "Stupid question to a bow…"

* * *

><p>Zack sat on the second floor staircase, his head in his hands. All of these years, he had longed to become a famous hero like Sephiroth, even going so far as to leave his parents behind at a young age just to become a SOLDIER… so why was it that when he was addressed as a hero by a child like Artemis, he was unable to embrace it?<p>

Wasn't that what he wanted all of this time?

Was he _really_ a hero?

If he were, he could have gotten to Artemis long before she was attacked and stricken with Mako poisoning from that experiment.

"…This has gone on for far too long… There's a chance that Artemis could die because of me… Maybe I can call Tseng and let him know my situation, and then he can probably-" But when Zack had opened his cell phone, he noticed that the battery was completely dead. "Wha-DEAD? Damn it, but I charged this thing right before I left, how can it be dead now? What the hell!" Zack groaned, putting his phone away. Then there was a sudden scream and he flinched. "K-Kairi?"

He got up, Buster Sword drawn, racing down the stairs and through the halls, where he found Sora standing in front of Kairi with his Keyblade drawn, eyes locked on the experiment before him.

"T-This one is WAY different from the last one I fought…!" Zack took note of the minor cuts and bruises on Sora's body. The experiment charged at Sora, scythe drawn. Sora immediately blocked the attack, trying to counterattack only for the experiment to apply more pressure onto the Keyblade.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed. Sora glanced back at Kairi in the corner of his eye.

"Kairi, get to safety, quickly!" Kairi froze for a second. "GO!" Kairi snapped out of it and then ran past and up the stairs, noticing Zack.

"Wha-You're not going to help him?"

"He'll be fine," Zack replied, Buster Sword still gripped tightly in his hands in case that he needed to take a preemptive strike into his own hands. "Besides… if he's anything like I was when I was his age, then he's fine-"

Out of nowhere, an arrow flew past Zack's face and struck the experiment in the back. It let out a painful roar and then Sora pushed it off of him, leaping back and holding his Keyblade up in the air.

"HOLY!" Multiple beams of light emanated from the Keyblade, raining down on the experiment and disintegrating it completely. He let out a breath of relief.

Zack had glanced back to see who fired the arrow, noticing Artemis at the top of the stairs. She was extremely pale, dripping with sweat, and her breaths were heavy, but nonetheless, she held the bow as if she were prepared to strike again if she had to.

"A-Artemis!"

_And my part is done for now~_

Artemis stumbled a bit, feeling faint. Zack ran up to her, grabbing her by the arm, pulling her close so that she wouldn't accidentally fall down the stairs. Her face reddened immensely and she weakly glanced up at him.

"What the hell were you THINKING?" She gripped his shirt a bit.

"…I… wasn't… I don't… know… what happened…" Zack blinked. "I just… knew that I had to go and… find Ryuu…"

"…You knew…?" Kairi breathed out.

"…Ryuu is… MY responsibility…"

Zack sighed. "Okay, Artemis, I'm gonna try to see if I can put you at my level right now," He lifted her up. "You need to learn to put yourself before Ryuu right now so that you can regain enough strength to find him. You're suffering from a moderate case of Mako poisoning, and I know that you don't have idea what that is, but it's not a good thing to test. You're too weak to try and find Ryuu all by yourself. You can't try to go around fighting like the rest of us like that again."

Artemis's eyes began welling with tears, and Zack blinked. "B-But…"

"…A-Aw, no, not with the tears…! C'mon, please don't start crying, please…?"

"Aw…" Sora mumbled. Kairi glared at him.

"I wanna go home…" Artemis choked out, hiccupping afterwards. Zack's eyes saddened, for he knew that he could never resist a young girl in tears before him—yet another of his frivolous hero instincts.

Zack gently pressed his forehead up against her, eyes locked on her. "Artemis… I promise you, I will do everything in my power to help you find Ryuu…" He looked to Sora and Kairi. "I'll do everything in my power to get ALL of you back home safely, no matter what," Artemis seemed relieved and rested her head on his shoulder, drifting off to sleep. Zack grinned a bit. "That's a good girl…"

"She's taken by you, Zack~" Sora joked.

"Aw, no one can resist Zack the Puppy at his finest," Zack replied, knowing that Sora was only half-serious about that statement. "C'mon, let's get out of here before more of those experiments start popping up."

"Right!"

* * *

><p>Soon enough, Artemis was back in bed, sleeping. Sora was having his wounds tended to by Kairi, luckily they weren't serious or had injected Mako into him as well. Zack was practically cursing Riku out for letting Artemis out of bed, to which the silverette interjected that he had only left for a minute to use the restroom. When asked if he knew where the archery material had come from, Riku lied and stated that he had no idea where she had found it.<p>

He never once mentioned Artemis temporarily losing control of her body as not to worry the elder man. The thought stuck in his mind, however.

Just who was the one controlling Artemis in the first place?

* * *

><p><strong>Well, who IS the one controlling Arte? THAT is another tale for another time, of course!<strong>

**^_^ Review!**


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